Wednesday, August 31, 2016

Card #106
Today you're gonna get to play
Trammell will throw it back to you
By now you should've somehow
Realized you weren't Sweet Lou
I don't think Sparky Anderson
Feels the way I do about you now

Bad beats, the word is on the street
That at the plate you're an easy out
I'm sure you'd like to get ball four
But "Strike three!" the ump will shout
I don't believe Ernie Harwell
Feels the way I do about you now

And all the roads in the minors are winding
And all the lights in Tiger Stadium blinding
There are many things Gibby and Morris
Would like to say to you
About their scowls

Because maybe
A utility infielder will save me
And after all
You're my Wanderwale...

Friday, August 19, 2016

Card #772
Ted Williams, who many would argue is the best pure hitter in the history of baseball, never won a World Series. Sal Butera, who scratched out part time play over nine seasons and retired with a -1.1 WAR, has a ring.

I love baseball.

At nearly 35 years of age Butera was traded by the Reds to the Twins during the 1987 season. He stuck with the team as the backup catcher for the rest of the season and managed to appear in both the playoffs and World Series, even going two for three in his start against the Tigers!

I would love to know more about Butera's wristbands in this picture. A quick Google search yielded zero clues. Any Twins fans out there who can help me out?

Sal is the proud father of Royals catcher Drew Butera. The two even faced off against each other in the 2015 playoffs, as Sal was a coach on the Toronto Blue Jays staff. While I'm sure Sal was disappointed Toronto didn't win, I'll bet he wasn't sulking too much knowing his son was moving on...to win a World Series of his own!

Saturday, August 6, 2016

Card #158
If you've ever wondered what "league average" looks like, that might be Tim Hulett. In twelve big league seasons he totaled 6.7 WAR, meaning he was worth about half a win per season.

The irony of this card is that in 1988 he wasn't in the majors. He wasn't even in Triple A, instead playing in Double A Indianapolis and not performing particularly well. But in 1989 he was in Rochester for the Orioles, and made it back to the bigs, where he stuck with Baltimore through the first half of the 90's as their utility infielder. I'm a big Orioles fan but only have the vaguest of memories of that. Granted, I've tried to block most of those years from memory...

On a sad note, in 1992 one of his young sons was struck and killed in an automobile accident. The Orioles had to put him on the 15 day disabled list and that experience was one of the reasons the current day bereavement list now exists.

Hulett currently serves as the manager of the Spokane Indians in the Texas Rangers organization.

Tuesday, August 2, 2016

Card #159
That shadow across Arnsberg's face gives off a real "Phantom of the Opera" vibe. Look at your face in the mirror, Brad is there, inside...

Enough musical theater gags, let's get to Arnsberg. He was a tall throwing righty out of the Pacific Northwest with a cup of coffee in New York in both 1986 and 1987. But when you check out his Baseball Reference page for 1988, the year this card hit store shelves, there's only a void. A little internet sleuthing led me to this old newspaper article. Arnsberg had a Tommy John-esque surgical procedure that had him out of baseball for over a year. He would reemerge with the Rangers, having come over as the infamous "player to be named later" in the deal that landed Don Slaught in the Big Apple.

Brad appeared in a handful of games with Texas in 1989, but it would be the 1990 season where he saw his greatest success. As a full time reliever he logged 53 games and a nifty 2.15 ERA. His biggest professional highlight might be the fact he saved Nolan Ryan's 300th career victory...despite the final score being 11-3! He was already in the game when the Rangers scored six runs in the top of the ninth to give Nolan his milestone.

I suspect those of you familiar with Brad's name know him more from his long career as a major league pitching coach, and if I'm not mistaken, he currently serves as the rehabilitation coordinator for the Arizona Diamondbacks. His son Kyle has spent time as the Yankees bullpen catcher, though I don't think he's still in that role...